Active Suspension Seat Floor Plate

ABSTRACT

An active suspension seat is mounted to a floor of a vehicle with a floor plate having a lower portion through which is formed a first plurality of apertures positioned about the lower portion to correspond to the manner in which mounting features are positioned about the floor of the vehicle, and having an upper portion through which is formed a second plurality of apertures positioned about the upper portion to correspond to the manner in which apertures are positioned about a lower frame of the active suspension seat, and to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the floor plate by inserting fasteners through the second plurality of apertures from locations external to the lower frame.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to the mounting and protective covering of plantsuspension systems, including an actively suspended vehicle seat.

BACKGROUND

Suspended seats employing active suspension in vehicles increase drivercomfort by dampening jolts felt by the driver along one or more axes asthe vehicle travels. In so doing, active suspension seats have beenknown to provide health and safety benefits to drivers, includingreduction in driver fatigue over long hours of vehicle operation. Suchseats do this by isolating uncomfortable movement of the vehicle fromthe seat such that the seat is actively caused to move along one or moreaxes (usually, at least along the vertical axis) relative to the floor(or some other portion) of the vehicle.

However, the vast majority of vehicles currently in use and vehiclesplanned for production are not built with active suspension seatspre-installed by the vehicle manufacturer and are not built by themanufacturer with the intent to accommodate a later retrofit with activesuspension seats. This can result in one or more structures within avehicle not being made with sufficient strength and/or rigidity toproperly accommodate the installation of an active suspension seat.

Currently available active suspension seats employ protective coveringsfor the base of such seats (i.e., portions between the seat cushions andthe floor of a vehicle) that include a skirt having a flexible“bellows-type” structure (i.e., a skirt having “accordion-like” foldingwalls of flexible material) where the folds in the “bellows-type”structure allow the suspended portion of such seats to move (at leastvertically) relative to the floor of the vehicle while coveringcomponents of the suspension of such seats to prevent dust, debris,hands and feet from entering into portions of the suspension. This ismeant to ensure the proper functioning of the suspension and to preventinjury to those sitting on or beside such seats. Unfortunately, suchflexible materials are subject to accelerated wear from the frequent andrepeated flexing and bending at the folds caused by the movement of thesuspended portion of such seats relative to the floor of the vehicle.

SUMMARY

An active suspension seat is mounted to a floor of a vehicle with afloor plate having a lower portion through which is formed a firstplurality of apertures positioned about the lower portion to correspondto the manner in which mounting features are positioned about the floorof the vehicle, and having an upper portion through which is formed asecond plurality of apertures positioned about the upper portion tocorrespond to the manner in which apertures are positioned about a lowerframe of the active suspension seat, and to enable the active suspensionseat to be coupled to the floor plate by inserting fasteners through thesecond plurality of apertures from locations external to the lowerframe.

In one aspect, a floor plate to couple an active suspension seat to afloor of a vehicle includes a lower portion comprising a flat sheet ofmaterial extending within a plane and having a plurality of aperturesformed therethrough that correspond to a plurality of mounting featurespositioned about the floor to enable the floor plate to be coupled tothe floor, and an upper portion comprising a ribbon of material that isbent at two locations along the ribbon to define three portions of theribbon and to impart a U-shape configuration to the ribbon. A long edgeof the upper portion is joined to the lower portion such that the flatsheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upperportion cooperate to form a tray having three side walls; each of thethree portions of the ribbon defines a side wall; each of the three sidewalls extends in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of the lowerportion; and at least one of the side walls has an aperture formedtherethrough that corresponds to an aperture formed in a lower frame ofthe active suspension seat.

Implementations may include, and are not limited to, one or more of thefollowing features. Another plurality of apertures may be formed throughthe flat sheet of material of the lower portion that correspond to aplurality of mounting features positioned about another floor of anothervehicle. The lower portion may further include a plurality of extensionsthat extend downwardly from the plane of the flat sheet of material toreach through corresponding openings formed in a layer of resilientmaterial disposed between the floor and floor plate to engage the floorplate at locations of the mounting features. An extending portion of theflat sheet of material of the lower portion may extend outwardly fromthe tray formed by the flat sheet and the U-shape configuration of theupper portion beyond one of the three side walls, and at least oneaperture of the plurality of apertures formed through the flat sheet ofmaterial may be formed through the extending portion. Two of the threeside walls defined by the three portions of the ribbon may extend inparallel planes enabling parallel portions of the lower frame to bepositioned therebetween. The three side walls may be oriented such thatthe tray formed by the flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shapeconfiguration of the upper portion opens toward the rear of the vehiclewhen the floor plate is coupled to the floor. The upper portion mayfurther include a pin that is carried by one of the three side walls andthat extends outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet of thelower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion toengage a lower portion of a skirt surrounding the lower frame of theactive suspension seat. Alternatively and/or additionally, the upperportion may further include an extension that is carried by one of thethree side walls and that extends outwardly from the tray formed by theflat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of theupper portion to engage a lower portion of a skirt surrounding the lowerframe of the active suspension seat.

In another aspect, an active suspension seat includes an upper framecoupled to a seat cushion providing a place on which a person may sit; alower frame; a suspension comprising suspension components and acontroller that cooperate to actively suspend the upper frame relativeto the lower frame; a first floor plate having a first plurality ofapertures formed therethrough that correspond to a plurality mountingfeatures positioned about a first floor of a first vehicle to enable theactive suspension seat to be coupled to the first floor; and a secondfloor plate having a second plurality of apertures formed therethroughthat correspond to a plurality of mounting features positioned about asecond floor of a second vehicle to enable the active suspension seat tobe coupled to the second floor, wherein the apertures of the firstplurality of apertures are arranged differently from the apertures ofthe second plurality of apertures floor.

Implementations may include, and are not limited to, one or more of thefollowing features. The first floor plate may include a plurality ofextensions that extend downwardly from a plane of a flat sheet ofmaterial of the first floor plate to reach through correspondingopenings formed in a layer of resilient material disposed between thefirst floor and the first floor plate to engage the first floor plate atlocations of the mounting features positioned about the first floorplate. An extending portion of the flat sheet of material of the lowerportion may extend outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet andthe U-shape configuration of the upper portion beyond one of the threeside walls, and at least one aperture of the plurality of aperturesformed through the flat sheet of material may be formed through theextending portion. The controller may be coupled to the upper mountingframe such that the controller is actively suspended.

The first floor plate may include a lower portion comprising a flatsheet of material extending within a plane and having the firstplurality of apertures formed therethrough; an upper portion comprisinga ribbon of material that is bent at two locations along the ribbon todefine three portions of the ribbon and to impart a U-shapeconfiguration to the ribbon. A long edge of the upper portion may bejoined to the lower portion such that the flat sheet of the lowerportion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion cooperate toform a tray having three side walls; each of the three portions of theribbon may define a side wall; and at least one of the side walls mayhave an aperture formed therethrough that corresponds to an apertureformed in a lower frame of the active suspension seat.

In still another aspect, a method of installing an active suspensionseat in a vehicle may include coupling a floor plate to a floor of avehicle, wherein the floor plate has a first plurality of apertures thatcorrespond to a plurality of mounting features positioned about thefloor to enable the floor plate to be coupled to the floor; and couplingthe active suspension seat to the floor plate. The floor plate may havea second plurality of apertures that correspond to a plurality ofapertures formed in a lower frame of the active suspension seat toenable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the floor plate.Coupling the active suspension seat to the floor plate may includeinserting fasteners through the second plurality of apertures and intothe corresponding apertures of the lower frame, wherein the secondplurality of apertures are located at positions on the floor plate thatenable the fasteners to be inserted from locations external to theactive suspension seat.

Implementations may include, and are not limited to, one or more of thefollowing features. The method may further include coupling an upperportion of a skirt to an upper frame of the active suspension seat thatis structured to be actively suspended above a lower frame of the activesuspension seat, and coupling a lower portion of the skirt to the floorplate. The floor plate may include a flat sheet of material and a ribbonof material bent at two locations and joined to the flat sheet ofmaterial to form a tray having three side walls. Coupling the floorplate to the floor of the vehicle may include positioning the floorplate on the floor such that the tray having three side walls opensrearwardly. Coupling the active suspension seat to the floor plate mayinclude positioning the lower frame between two of the three side walls;sliding the lower frame forward to engage the other one of the threeside walls; and inserting a fastener through an aperture formed throughone of the three side walls and at least partly into a correspondingaperture formed in the lower frame.

In yet another aspect, an active suspension seat may include an upperframe coupled to a seat cushion providing a place on which a person maysit; a lower frame; a suspension comprising at least one activesuspension component; and a controller comprising at least oneelectronic component mounted to the upper frame to isolate the at leastone electronic component from jolts encountered by a vehicle into whichthe active suspension seat is installed during travel of the vehicle,wherein the controller cooperates with the at least one activesuspension component to actively suspend the upper frame relative to thelower frame.

Implementations may include, and are not limited to, one or more of thefollowing features. The at least one active suspension component may bemounted to the upper frame. The at least one active suspension componentmay be selected from a group consisting of a linear actuator, a rotaryelectric motor, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a powerswitching device, a fluid reservoir, and a magnet.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and claims that follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an active suspension seat.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the active suspension seat ofFIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c are perspective views of variants of a floorplate of the active suspension seat of FIG. 1 depicting features of eachof these variants in greater detail.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are cross-section views of portions of the activesuspension seat of FIG. 1, depicting the suspension of a controller ofthe active suspension seat; and that taken together, depict movement ofan upper frame of a suspension of the active suspension seat relative toa lower frame of the suspension, as well as the resulting movement of anupper portion of a skirt of the active suspension seat relative to alower portion of the skirt.

FIG. 5 is another cross-section view of portions of a variant of theactive suspension seat of FIG. 1, depicting the suspension of adifferent controller, and depicting upper and lower portions of adifferent skirt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that although the following discussion andaccompanying figures center on implementations of a plant suspensionsystem in which the overall plant includes a physical plant implementedas an active suspension seat in which a person sits, what is disclosedin that discussion is also applicable to other implementations of plantsuspension systems. Other possible forms of actively suspended plantinclude, and are not limited to, a suspended trailer floor of a tractortrailer truck, a suspended cabinet in a recreational vehicle, asuspended personnel cabin on board an airplane, a suspended pool tableon board a sea vessel, and a whole suspended room on board a sea vessel.Still other possible implementations of actively suspended plant towhich what is disclosed herein is applicable will be clear to thoseskilled in the art.

It should also be noted that although this discussion centers onsuspension systems addressing jolts along substantially horizontaland/or vertical axes and/or planes, this should not be construed as adirectional limitation. What is disclosed and claimed herein may beapplied to suspension systems configured to address jolts occurring inany given direction, including in rotational directions, and may beapplied regardless of how directions of movement are described (e.g.,with reference to Cartesian, polar or other coordinate systems).Further, directional terms such as “horizontal” and “vertical” are meantto provide a form of shorthand description for structures that aresubstantially horizontal or vertical at a time when a vehicle issubstantially level with the Earth or substantially plumb, and shouldnot be taken as imposing a requirement of being precisely horizontal orvertical, or a requirement of remaining horizontal or vertical at alltimes. As those skilled in the art will readily recognize, it is notuncommon for portions of a vehicle that are oriented substantiallyhorizontally or vertically while the vehicle is substantially level withthe Earth or substantially plumb (and therefore are referred to as“horizontal” or “vertical” for ease of discussion) to cease to actuallybe substantially horizontal or vertical as the vehicle is operated toclimb or descend inclines, or to be otherwise positioned so as to nolonger be level with the Earth or substantially plumb. This sameunderstanding also applies to other directional terms such as “upward,”“downward,” “forwardly” and “rearwardly.”

FIGS. 1 and 2 show at least portions of a form of active suspension seat1000 isolating a driver from jolts in the form of vehicle movementarising from forces acting on a vehicle under the driver's control as aresult of the vehicle's travel over water or terrain (e.g., waves orroad bumps), or through air or water (e.g., turbulence), etc. FIG. 1 isa perspective view of the active suspension seat 1000, and FIG. 2 is anexploded perspective view showing portions of the active suspension seat1000 in greater detail. The active suspension seat 1000 incorporates abase 1400 made up of one or more of a floor plate 100, a skirt 300, asuspension 500 and controller 700. The active suspension seat 1000 alsoincorporates a top 1900 made up principally of a suspended portion 900,which is the portion of the active suspension seat 1000 on which aperson actually sits. The floor plate 100 mounts the active suspensionseat 1000 to a floor of a vehicle (not shown). The suspension 500couples the suspended portion 900 to the floor plate 100, and providesthe active suspension of the suspended portion 900 (along with whoeversits on the suspended portion) relative to the floor of the vehicle(i.e., above the floor of the vehicle). The controller 700 is coupled toand operates one or more actuators (not shown) of the suspension 500 tocause the suspension 500 to provide the active suspension of thesuspended portion 900. The skirt 300 is coupled to one or both of thefloor plate 100 and the suspension 500, and surrounds at least portionsof the floor plate 100, the suspension 500 and/or the controller 700.

The floor plate 100 is made up of an upper portion 110 and a lowerportion 120. The skirt 300 is made up principally of a lower portion 310and an upper portion 390. The lower portion 310 of the skirt 300 is madeup of at least a lower front portion 311, and perhaps one or more of alower left portion 313, a lower right portion 314 and a lower backportion (not shown). The upper portion 390 of the skirt 300 is made upof at least an upper front portion 391, and perhaps one or more of anupper left portion 393, an upper right portion 394 and an upper backportion (not shown). The suspension 500 is made up of numerousstructural supports and suspension components (e.g., suspensionlinkages, springs, pneumatic and/or hydraulic cylinders, rotary and/orlinear motors, power supplies, etc.) of which a lower frame 510,suspension components 550 and an upper frame 590 are shown in FIG. 2.The suspended portion 900 is made up principally of a seat cushion 990and perhaps a back cushion 991, although the suspended portion 900 mayalso incorporate one or more of armrests, a headrest, a seat belt, astorage bin and a cup holder (not shown). It should again be noted thatthese designations of “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “left,” “right,”“rear,” “top” and “back” are arbitrary in nature, and should not betaken as limiting of the scope of either the disclosure or claimsherein. For purposes of clarity of discussion, these designations havebeen chosen to correspond to what would be “upper,” “lower,” “front,”“left,” “right,” “rear,” “top” and “back” from the perspective of aperson sitting on the seat cushion 990 of the suspended portion 900.

In various possible embodiments, the seat cushion 990, the controller700 and upper portion 390 of the skirt 300 are coupled to the upperframe 590, while the upper portion 110 of the floor plate 100 and thelower portion 310 of the skirt 300 are coupled to the lower frame 510.The lower portion 120 of the floor plate 100 couples the activesuspension seat 1000 to the floor of a vehicle. As the controller 700operates the suspension 500, including the suspension components 550, toprovide active suspension, the upper frame 590 is caused to moverelative to the lower frame 510. In this way, the suspended portion 900,the controller 700 and the upper portion 390 of the skirt 300 are causedto move relative to the lower portion 310 of the skirt 300, the floorplate 100 and the floor of a vehicle. The lower and upper portions 310,390 of the skirt are sized and positioned such that the upper portion390 telescopes into the lower portion 310 as the upper portion 390 movesrelative to the lower portion 310. Thus, there are some suspensioncomponents of the suspension 500 that are, themselves, suspended by thesuspension 500 relative to the floor of a vehicle, and others of thesuspension components of the suspension 500 that are more directlycoupled to the floor of a vehicle. Also, as will be depicted anddiscussed in more detail, the controller 700 and/or other mechanismsthat support and/or enable the provision of active suspension by thesuspension 500 may also be actively suspended.

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c, together, provide perspective views of threevariants 100 a, 100 b and 100 c, respectively, of the floor plate 100 ofFIGS. 1 and 2, and in greater detail. As with the floor plate 100, eachof the floor plates 100 a-c is made up principally of an upper portion110 by which each of these floor plates is coupled to the lower frame510, and a lower portion 120 by which each of these floor plates iscoupled to a floor of a vehicle.

As depicted, the lower portion 120 of the floor plate 100 and of allthree of the variants 100 a-c is made up primarily of a flat,rectangular sheet of material, preferably metal, through which multipleapertures 122 are formed at various locations to enable bolts and/orother fasteners (possibly including threaded studs extending upward fromthe floor of a vehicle) to extended therethrough to couple each of thesefloor plates to a floor of a vehicle. In other words, the apertures 122are formed at various positions about the lower portion 120 thatcorrespond to mounting features of a vehicle floor, whether thosemounting features are apertures formed through the floor, studsextending upwards from the floor, or still other mounting features. Thelower portion 120 of the floor plates 100 a and 100 c have extensions125 formed therein that extend downwardly from the plane of the flat,rectangular sheet of the lower portion 120 to engage a vehicle floor,and in which the apertures 122 are located. In contrast, the lowerportion 120 of the floor plate 100 b has no such extensions formedtherein, and instead, the apertures 122 are formed through the lowerportion 120 within the plane of the flat, rectangular sheet. Further,the lower portion 120 of all three of these floor plates 100 a-c hastabs 123 cut therein that are depicted as remaining in the plane of theflat, rectangular sheet. However, possibly one or more of these tabs 123may be bent out of the plane of that flat, rectangular sheet, eitherupwardly from that plane to engage portions of the lower frame 510 ofthe suspension 500 or downwardly from that plane to engage portions ofthe floor of a vehicle. Thus, one or more of the tabs 123 may beemployed to couple the lower portion 120 to the lower portion 510 and/orthe floor of a vehicle.

As also depicted, the upper portion 110 of all three of these floorplates 100 a-c is made up of a ribbon of material, preferably metal,that is bent at two points (preferably, at right angles at those twopoints) along the length of the ribbon to impart a generally “U-shaped”configuration. One of the long edges of the ribbon of the upper portion110 is joined to the lower portion 120 such that the combination of theU-shaped upper portion 110 and the flat, rectangular lower portion 120cooperate to form what could be called a rectangular “tray” withupwardly extending walls along three sides with an upwardly extendingedge. Multiple apertures 112 are formed through the upwardly extendingwalls of the upper portion 110 at various positions to enable boltsand/or other fasteners to extend therethrough to couple the lower frame510 of the suspension assembly 500 to each of these floor plates. Insome embodiments, the lower frame 510 may have threaded apertures (notshown) formed therethrough at locations corresponding to at least someof the locations of the apertures 112. The upper portion 110 of thefloor plate 100 a also carries one or more studs 113, depicted asprojecting outwardly and generally parallel to the plane of the flat,rectangular sheet of the lower portion 120. In extending outwardly, eachof the studs 113 may be oriented to extend into corresponding aperturesformed in the material of the lower portion 310 of the skirt 300 to aidin coupling the lower portion 310 to the floor plate 100 a.Alternatively and/or additionally, one or more of the studs 113 maypositioned on the upper portion 110 to extend inwardly to engage thelower frame 510 to aid in coupling the lower frame 510 to the upperportion 110. Whether employed to couple the upper portion 110 to thelower portion 310 of the skirt 300 or to the lower frame 510, each ofthe studs 113 may or may not be threaded.

The upper portion 110 of all three of the floor plates 100 a-c carryextensions 115 at various positions along the upwardly extending edge,with the extensions 115 extending outwardly and generally parallel tothe plane of the flat, rectangular sheet of the lower portion 120. Eachof the extensions 115 has an aperture 117 formed therethrough to enablebolts and/or other fasteners to couple the lower portion 310 of theskirt 300 to each of these floor plates. Alternatively and/oradditionally, the material of the lower portion 310 may be shaped toengage the apertures 117, perhaps by having small portions of thematerial of the lower portion 310 extend through each of the apertures117. Further, the floor plates 100 b and 100 c each have a largervariant of the extension 115 that extends outwardly from amidst anoutward face of one of the upwardly extending walls defined by the upperportion 110, and incorporates a right-angled bend causing a portion ofthis larger variant of the extension 115 to then extend upwardly andgenerally parallel to the upwardly extending wall from which the largervariant of the extension 115 extends. The aperture 117 of this largervariant of the extension 115 is formed through its upwardly extendingportion.

As further depicted, the flat, rectangular sheet of the lower portion120 of the floor plates 100 b and 100 c may extend in various waysbeyond the upwardly extending walls defined by the U-shaped upperportion 110, or in other words, beyond the periphery of the “tray”formed by the combination of the upper portion 110 and the lower portion120. All of the apertures 122 of the floor plate 100 b are depicted asbeing formed through such extending portions of the lower portion 120,and these extending portions are also coupled to the outwardly extendingportion of the larger variant of the extension 115. In contrast, some ofthe apertures 122 of the floor plate 100 c are depicted as being formedthrough a pair of the extensions 125 that are formed in such anextending portion of the lower portion 120, and the larger variant ofthe extension 115 is not coupled at any point to the lower portion 120.

As those skilled in the art will readily recognize, it is commonplacefor each of the different manufacturers of vehicles to devise their ownlayout of mounting features (e.g., apertures formed through the floor,and/or threaded or unthreaded studs extending upwards from the floor)positioned about the floors of their vehicles by which seats are coupledthereto, and to not coordinate with each other to create common layoutsof mounting features. Each of the floor plates 100 and 100 a-c providesa different pattern of locations of the apertures 122, and this enablesthe active suspension seat 1000 to be installed into a variety ofdifferent vehicles through the use of whichever one of the floor plates100 or 100 a-c is appropriate for a given vehicle. In some embodiments,one or more of the floor plates 100 and 100 a-c may provide a pattern oflocations of the apertures 122 that enables a single one of these floorplates to be employed in coupling the active suspension seat 1000 to thefloor of more than one vehicle.

As those skilled in the art will also readily recognize, it iscommonplace for some of such manufacturers to cover portions of thefloor of a vehicle underneath a seat with rubber or other relativelyresilient material for the comfort of persons within the vehicle, foraesthetic purposes and/or as a way of preventing persons from slippingon the floor of the vehicle. It is also commonplace, where such portionsof a vehicle floor are so covered, to form openings through suchresilient material about the locations of mounting features positionedabout the floor (e.g., apertures and/or studs) to enable the seatprovided by the manufacturer of a vehicle to be securely mounteddirectly to the floor, itself. The provision of the extensions 125 inthe floor plates 100 a and 100 c enables the floor plates 100 a and 100c to be securely coupled to such covered floors as a result of theextensions 125 extending downwardly through such openings formed in suchresilient material to directly engage the floor at those locations. Inthis way, each of the floor plates 100 a and 100 c extends over suchresilient material at locations between the openings formed through suchresilient material, such that the resilient material is allowed toremain substantially undisturbed as the active suspension seat 1000 isinstalled, rather than needing to be removed.

As those skilled in the art will further readily recognize, it iscommonplace for the seats normally installed by vehicle manufacturerswithin their vehicles to have a frame in the base of those seats that isdirectly coupled to the floor of their vehicles without the use of afloor plate. This is frequently facilitated by there being a lack ofactive suspension components located in amidst the frame of the base oftheir seats, resulting in the space beneath the top portion of theirseats frequently being empty enough to facilitate the insertion of humanhands or automated machinery therein to insert bolts and/or otherfasteners in that empty space to directly couple the frame of the baseto the floor.

However, as suggested by the depiction of the suspension components 550and the controller 700 being positioned amidst the lower frame 510 andthe upper frame 590 of the active suspension seat 1000, the spacebeneath the top 1900 is far less empty, making the insertion of eitherhuman hands or automated machinery therein to directly couple the lowerframe 510 to a vehicle floor substantially more difficult. Further, evenif there were sufficient room in the base 1400 amidst the lower frame510 and the upper frame 590 to enable the insertion of human hands orautomated machinery therein, this is likely to be deemed undesirable,since damage to components of the active suspension seat 1000 that arelocated therein and/or injury to persons attempting to couple the activesuspension seat 1000 to a vehicle floor may result. The use of one ofthe floor plates 100 and 100 a-c obviates the need to insert eitherhuman hands or automated machinery amidst the lower frame 510 and theupper frame 590 by enabling one of these floor plates to be coupled to avehicle floor with relative ease, which in turn, enables the remainderof the active suspension seat 1000 to be installed by coupling the lowerframe 510 to the upper portion 110 of the floor plate 100. As previouslydiscussed, the lower frame 510 is coupled to the upper portion 110through the insertion of bolts and/or other fasteners through theapertures 112 formed through the upper portion 110, and perhaps intocorresponding threaded apertures formed in the lower frame 510. Thus,the installation of the active suspension seat 1000 is also made easierthan is customary with the seats normally installed by a vehiclemanufacturer, since it is frequently easier for human hands and/orautomated machinery to reach around the exterior of the base of a seat(such as the base 1400) than to reach into the base of a seat,regardless of whether there is much empty space with the base of a seat,or not.

The use of one of the floor plates 100 or 100 a-c to couple the activesuspension seat 1000 to a vehicle floor also increases the strengthand/or rigidity of the section of the vehicle floor that supports theactive suspension seat 1000. The active suspension seat 1000 is likelyto be considerably heavier than the majority of seats installed byvehicle manufacturers into their vehicles, and thus, a vehicle floor maynot be able to support the added weight without flexing to an extentdeemed to be undesirable. As previously discussed, active suspensioncomponents of the suspension 500 are operated by the controller 700 tocause at least the upper frame 590 and the suspended portion 900 (alongwith a person sitting thereon) to be moved relative to the lower frame510 and a vehicle floor. A vehicle floor may not be able to withstandthe forces exerted on it as the at least the upper frame 590 and thesuspended portion 900 are caused to move in such ways. To put thisanother way, at least the upper frame 590 and the suspended portion 900are caused by the provision of active suspension to be pushed away fromand pulled toward the vehicle floor at various times, and in rapidsuccession, such that the vehicle floor is being variously pulled upwardand pushed downward. The coupling of one of the floor plates 100 and 100a-c to a vehicle floor strengthens and increases the rigidity thevehicle floor in a manner not unlike the lamination of multiple layersof material together can impart increased strength and rigidity.Further, the coupling of one of the floor plates 100 and 100 a-c to avehicle floor may also more widely distribute the forces exerted on avehicle floor across more of that vehicle floor (more so where the lowerportion 120 extends beyond the upper portion 110), thereby possiblyfurther reducing flexing of that vehicle floor.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, together, provide cross-section views of the base1400 of a variant of the active suspension seat 1000 that, takentogether, depict the relative movement of portions of a variant 300 a ofthe skirt 300 of FIGS. 1 and 2 in response to movement of the upperframe 590 of the suspension 500 relative to the lower frame 510, whichis coupled to another variant 100 d of the floor plate 100. As with theskirt 300 and floor plate 100, the skirt 300 a is made up principally ofa lower portion 310 coupled to the upper portion 110 (more specifically,to one or more of the extensions 115 of the upper portion 110) of thefloor plate 100 d and an upper portion 390 coupled to the upper frame590.

As depicted in FIGS. 4 a-b, as well as in FIG. 2, the upper frame 590 iscoupled to the lower frame 510 by a pair of the suspension components550. As depicted, each of the suspension components 550 is made up of apair of rotating bars 551 that are joined by a pair of pivoting bars 552extending therebetween. Ends of one of the rotating bars 551 of each ofthe suspension components 550 are rotatably coupled to the lower frame510, and ends of the other of the rotating bars 551 of each of thesuspension components 550 are rotatably coupled to the upper frame 590.These rotatable couplings between the rotating bars 551 and each of thelower frame 510 and the upper frame 590 may be formed in any of avariety of ways that will be familiar to those skilled in the art. Allof the pivoting bars 552 are of equal length. Also, the distance betweenthe points at which two of the rotating bars 551 are rotatably coupledto portions of the lower frame 510 are equal to the distance between thepoints at which the other two of the rotating bars 551 are rotatablycoupled to portions of the upper frame 510. As a result, the pivotingbars 552 and the portions of lower and upper frames 510, 590 to whichthe rotating bars 551 are rotatably coupled form a parallelogram that isclearly depicted in FIGS. 4 a-b. As can also be clearly seen bycomparing FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, the angles of the corners of thisparallelogram are alterable in a manner that corresponds to acurvilinear movement of the upper frame 590 relative to the lower frame510 (i.e., a curvilinear movement of the top 1400 relative to a vehiclefloor).

The formation of this parallelogram with alterable corner anglesprovides the suspension 500 with a very strong support structure thatalso permits this curvilinear movement of the upper frame 590 relativeto the lower frame 510 that enables the provision of active suspensionof the upper portion of the active suspension seat relative to a vehiclefloor. However, as those skilled in the art will readily recognize,alternate forms of the suspension components 550 may be employed to formsuch a parallelogram, including an alternate structure in which therotating bars 551 are rigidly (such that they do not actually rotate)coupled to the lower and upper frames 510, 590, and the corners of theparallelogram are made alterable by way of the pivoting bars 552 beingpivotally coupled to the rotating bars 551. Further, as those skilled inthe art will readily recognize, still other variations of structure maybe employed by the suspension 500 to form such a parallelogram and/oranother geometric configuration that causes the top 1400 to moverelative to a vehicle floor with a curvilinear motion as a result of theprovision of active suspension.

As those skilled in the art of active suspension will readily recognize,although FIGS. 4 a-b depict the suspension components 550 that providean alterable structure to enable the provision of active suspension,FIGS. 4 a-b do not depict other suspension components that actuallycause the movement of the upper frame 590 relative to the lower frame510 to cause the provision of active suspension. This has been done bychoice to facilitate ease of understanding of FIGS. 4 a-b by avoidingthe unnecessary depiction of some components, and should not be taken aslimiting the scope of either the disclosure or claims herein. As thoseskilled in the art will readily understand, the suspension 500 mustincorporate one or more linear and/or rotary actuators of some form tocause the provision of active suspension, including and not limited toone or more of, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, rotary motorsor linear motors. Further, as was previously discussed, it is expectedthat such linear and/or rotary actuators would be located amidstportions of the suspension components 550.

In keeping with what has been previously discussed, the lower frame 510and the lower portion 310 of the skirt 300 a are coupled to the upperportion 110 of the floor plate 100 d, and the lower portion 120 of thefloor plate 100 d enables the active suspension seat 1000 to be coupledto the floor of a vehicle. Also, the upper portion 390 of the skirt 300a is coupled to the upper frame 590. Unlike the skirt 300 of FIGS. 1 and2, the lower portion 310 of the skirt 300 a has all three of the lowerfront, lower left and lower right portions 311, 313 and 314,respectively, and additionally has a lower back portion 312. Similarly,the upper portion 390 has all three of the upper front, upper left andupper right portions 391, 393 and 394, respectively, and additionallyhas an upper back portion 392. The floor plate 100 d has at least a pairof the extensions 115 by which the lower front portion 311 and the lowerback portion 312 are coupled to the floor plate 100 d. As depicted, thiscoupling is made by the material of each of the lower front and lowerback portions 311, 312 enveloping a portion of one of the depictedextensions 115. Within the area of this envelopment may be one or morefasteners and/or portions of adhesive that aid in forming this coupling.Further, any of a variety of fasteners and/or portions of adhesive maybe employed in coupling at least the upper front and upper back portions391, 392 to the upper frame 590.

As depicted, the lower front portion 311 and the upper front portion 391both have generally curved cross-sections with the concave faces ofthose curves at least partly facing towards each other. In at least someembodiments, the curves of the lower front portion and upper frontportion 311, 391 are substantially similar, and are at least partlydefined by the arc of movement followed by an end of one of the pivotingbars 552 that is coupled through one of the rotating bars 551 to theupper frame 590 as the upper frame 590 is caused to move relative to thelower frame. These concave faces are positioned relative to each otherin a manner that leaves a gap 355 between them along an upper edge ofthe lower front portion 311. Again, as those skilled in the art willreadily recognize, the parallelogram with alterable corner anglesdefined by the combination of the pivoting bars 552 and portions of thelower and upper frames 510, 590 impart something of a forward-backwardmovement (again, “forward” and “backward” from the perspective of aperson sitting in the suspended portion 900 of the active suspensionseat 1000) of the upper frame 590 relative to the lower frame 510 as theupper frame 590 moves upwardly-downwardly relative to the lower frame510. In essence, as previously discussed, this parallelogram causes theupper frame 590 to actually move in a curvilinear motion relative to thelower frame 510. The concave faces of the front portions 311 and 391 ofthe skirt 300 a have curves that enable the size of the gap 355 (i.e.,the distance between the upper edge of the lower front portion 311 andthe concave face of the upper front portion 391) to remain substantiallyunchanged as the upper front portion 391 is moved relative to the lowerfront portion 311 as the upper frame 590 is caused to move in itscurvilinear motion relative to the lower frame 510.

Somewhat similarly, the upper back portion 392 has a generally curvedcross-section with a curvature substantially similar to the curvature ofthe upper front portion 391. The convex face of the curve of the upperback portion 392 faces the lower back portion 312, which as depicted,has a substantially flat cross-section that does not correspond to thecurve of the lower front portion 311. The convex face of the upper backportion 392 is positioned relative to the lower back portion 312 in amanner that leaves a gap 356 between them along an upper edge of thelower back portion 312. The curve of the convex face of the upper backportion 392 enables the size of the gap 356 (i.e., the distance betweenthe upper edge of the lower back portion 312 and the convex face of theupper back portion 392) to remain substantially unchanged as the upperback portion 392 is moved relative to the lower back portion 312.

The gaps 355 and 356 are of sizes selected to ensure that the lowerfront portion 311 and the upper front portion 391 do not come intocontact with each other and to similarly ensure that the lower backportion 312 and the upper back portion 392 do not come into contact witheach other. However, the gaps 355 and 356 are also of sizes selected tosubstantially prevent the entry of debris, hands and feet between eitherthe lower and upper front portions 311, 391, or between the lower andupper back portions 312, 392. In some embodiments, it is preferred thatthe gaps 355 and 356 are within the range of 3 mm to 4 mm in width. Asdepicted in FIGS. 4 a-b, the lower portion 310 and the upper portion 390of the skirt 300 a are sized such that the front portions 311 and 391are positioned relative to each other and such that the back portions312 and 392 are positioned relative to each other to cause the gaps 355and 356 to open upward from a perspective external to the skirt 300 a.Although this may raise a concern that a greater amount of dust or someamount of debris will be allowed to fall down through one or both of thegaps 355 and 356 such that resizing and repositioning the lower andupper portions 310, 390 to cause the gaps 355 and 356 to face downwardwould seem an appealing alternative, doing so may be deemed undesirabledue to concerns of safety and/or comfort of a person sitting on theactive suspension seat 1000. More specifically, were the lower and upperportions 310, 390 altered so that the upper front portion 391 ispositioned in front of the lower front portion 311 (rather than behindthe lower front portion 311, as depicted), then the upward-downwardmovement of the upper front portion 391 relative to the lower frontportion 311 may result in a lower edge of the upper front portion 391coming downward and into contact with the back of a shoe (or worse, theback of a foot) of a person sitting on the active suspension seat 1000.By positioning the upper front portion 391 behind the lower frontportion 311 (as depicted), the back of a shoe and/or the back of a footthat is positioned against the lower front portion 311 is protected fromthe upward-downward movement of the upper front portion 391. For similarreasons, it may be deemed undesirable to position a variant of the upperback portion 392 behind a variant of the lower back portion 312 (ratherthan in front of the lower back portion 312, as depicted), since doingso may raise the concern of a lower edge of such an upper back portion392 coming downward and into contact with the front of a shoe (or worse,one or more toes) of a person sitting on another seat that is positionedbehind the active suspension seat 1000.

This use of such curves to provide gaps (i.e., the gaps 355 and 356) ofsubstantially constant size enables the use of relatively stiffmaterials in forming the lower and upper portions 310, 390. Thisopportunity to use relatively stiff materials obviates the need a skirthaving a “bellows-like” or “accordion-like” structure (or other flexibleform of skirt) that would be subject to accelerated wear and tear due tofrequent and repeated movement of the upper frame 590 relative to thelower frame 510 as a result of the provision of active suspension. Thisstiffness of the lower and upper portions 310, 390 provides a number ofadvantages over the use of flexible materials in forming a skirt,including the ability of the resulting skirt (300 or 300 a) to betterprotect components of the suspension 500 from impacts, provide flatsurfaces within the base 1400 to which various components may besecurely coupled, and/or more easily provide electromagnetic shielding.The use of more flexible materials in forming a skirt may allow theforce of even a minor impact (e.g., an accidental kick by someonewearing shoes) to reach components of the suspension 500, while the useof stiffer materials enables such impacts to be entirely absorbed by theskirt 300 or 300 a, leaving components of the suspension 500 unaffected.Lighter weight components (e.g., electronic components on circuitboards,sensors and/or manually-operable controls) may be more securely mountedto interior surfaces if the skirt 300 or 300 a is formed from suchstiffer materials. Electromagnetic shielding materials that tend to bestiff (and perhaps brittle) may be applied to interior surfaces of theskirt 300 or 300 a, if the skirt 300 or 300 a is formed from suchstiffer materials, while the use of more flexible materials to form theskirt 300 or 300 a may require such shielding to be provided through theuse of sheets of interwoven metal wires, which tend to be more costlyand would be subject to accelerated wear as the upper frame 590 movesrelative to the lower frame 510.

In addition to protecting components of the suspension 500 from impacts,the skirt 300 a also provides similar protection (including ease ofshielding) to the controller 700, which is depicted in FIGS. 4 a-b as acircuitboard to which various electronic components are mounted. Asdepicted in FIG. 2, as well as in FIGS. 4 a-b, the controller is furtherprotected by being coupled to the upper frame 590 (or at least someother component of the active suspension seat that is coupled to theupper frame 590), rather than being coupled to the lower frame 510 (orat some other component that is coupled to the lower frame 510, such asthe floor plate 100). In so doing, the controller 700, which may be madeup of one or more rather delicate components, is provided with the sameisolation from jolts to which a vehicle is subjected during vehicletravel as a person sitting on the active suspension seat 1000. Providingsuch isolation to electrical and/or electronic components can preventwearing of electrical connections due to vibration, damage to complexstructures within electronic components (e.g., the sometimes delicatearrangement of materials within a capacitor), and/or false switching ofelectromechanical components (e.g., undesired movement of pivotingcontacts in a relay).

In addition to or in lieu of the controller 700 being coupled to theupper frame 590 (or some other component that is also activelysuspended), one or more components of the suspension 500, itself, may besimilarly actively suspended to similarly prevent damage. By way ofexample, power supplies, gas and/or fluid reservoirs, valves, powertransistors, power rectifiers, coils, manifolds and/or magnets may beactively suspended as by being coupled to the upper frame 590 (directlyor indirectly) to isolate them from jolts to which a vehicle issubjected during travel. In selecting what components are to be activelysuspended, the addition of their mass to the total mass that is activelysuspended must be taken into account in the design of the suspension500, and perhaps also in the design of the floor plate 100 d.

FIG. 5 provides a cross-section view of the base 1400 of another variantof the active suspension seat 1000 that incorporates another variant 300b of the skirt 300 and another variant 100 e of the floor plate 100. Aswith the skirt 300 and floor plate 100, the skirt 300 b is made upprincipally of a lower portion 310 coupled to the upper portion 110 ofthe floor plate 100 e and an upper portion 390 coupled to the upperframe 590. Unlike FIGS. 4 a-b, where a deliberate decision was made toavoid excessive visual clutter by not depicting active suspensioncomponents, in FIG. 5, an active suspension component 560 is depicted ascoupled to both the lower and upper frames 510, 590, and as beingpositioned amidst the suspension components 550. The active suspensioncomponent 560 may be any of a variety of types of active suspensioncomponent, including and not limited to, a linear actuator, a rotaryactuator, a pneumatic cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder. Whatever thetechnology on which the active suspension component 560 is based, in themanner previously discussed, the controller 700 operates the activesuspension component 560 to cause the upper frame 590 to move relativeto the lower frame 510 as part of providing active suspension of thesuspended portion 900 relative to the floor of a vehicle.

In keeping with what has been previously discussed, the lower frame 510and the lower portion 310 of the skirt 300 b are coupled to the floorplate 100 e, and the floor plate 100 e enables the active suspensionseat 1000 to be coupled to the floor of a vehicle. Also, the upperportion 390 of the skirt 300 b is coupled to the upper frame 590. Likethe skirt 300 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower portion 310 of the skirt 300 bhas the lower front, lower left and lower right portions 311, 313 and314, respectively; and the upper portion 390 has the upper front, upperleft and upper right portions 391, 393 and 394. The floor plate 100 ehas at least one of the extensions 115 by which the lower front portion311 is coupled to the floor plate 100 e. However, in lieu of havingeither of the lower back portion 312 or the upper back portion 392, theexterior of the back side of the suspension 500 is made up of heatsinkfins of a casing of an alternate form of the controller 700 coupled tothe upper frame 590 and a back cover 352 made up of an accordion-likepiece of flexible material extending between a portion of the casing ofthe alternate form controller 700 and the floor plate 100 e. In the caseof embodiments of the active suspension seat 1000 that are installed invehicles in which there isn't another seat located behind the activesuspension seat 1000, use of the accordion-like back cover 352 may bedeemed more desirable than use of the lower and upper back portions 312,392 to reduce costs.

As depicted, the upper front portion 391 has a generally curvedcross-section, while the lower front portion 311 of the lower portion310 does not. Instead, the lower front portion 311 has a generally“L-shaped” cross-section with a horizontal portion of the “L-shape”defining a horizontally extending “lip” that cooperates with the concaveface of the upper front portion 391 to define the gap 355 therebetween,and that sets a vertical portion of the “L-shape” of the lower frontportion 311 far enough forward of the upper front portion 391 that alower edge of the upper front portion 391 does not make contact with thelower front portion 311 as the upper front portion 391 is moved relativeto the lower front portion 311. Use of this variant of the lower frontportion 311 with this “L-shaped” cross-section may be deemed moredesirable than use of the curved variant of the lower front portion 311depicted in FIGS. 4 a-b, since the “L-shaped” cross-section may impartgreater strength to the lower front portion 311, which may be subjectedto more frequent impacts from the shoes of a person sitting on theactive suspension seat 1000.

As previously discussed, the provision of a floor plate (i.e., one ofthe floor plates 100 or 100 a-e) enables the installation of the activesuspension seat 1000 into a vehicle to be conducted with greater ease.More specifically, the installation of the active suspension seat 1000begins principally with the coupling of one of the floor plates 100 or100 a-e to a vehicle floor. Since the rest of the active suspension seat1000 is installed subsequent to the coupling of one of these floorplates to the vehicle floor, the rest of the active suspension seat 1000is not present and in the way as one of these floor plates is socoupled, and therefore, each bolt and/or other fastener employed to dothis is made more readily accessible.

The installation of the active suspension seat 1000 continues with thecoupling of much of the rest of the active suspension seat 1000 towhichever one of the floor plates 100 or 100 a-e has been installed, butwith installation of a skirt to come later. As previously described, thepositioning of the apertures 112 about the upper portion 110 enablesbolts and/or other fasteners to be inserted through the apertures 112and into corresponding apertures formed in the lower frame 510 fromoutside the base 1400 with relative ease, rather than requiring suchbolts or other fasteners to be installed from within the space occupiedby components of the suspension 500. Where the corresponding aperturesof the lower frame 510 are threaded so as to receive threaded ends ofbolts inserted through the apertures 112, and/or where the upper portion110 carries one or more pins 113 that extend into correspondingapertures of the lower frame 510, the coupling of the lower frame 510 tothe upper portion 110 is made easier still.

In coupling the lower frame 510 to the upper portion 110, it has beenfound to be advantageous to configure the upper portion 110 to definethree vertical walls, as has been previously discussed, to allow aworker to at least partly slide the active suspension seat 1000 atop thelower portion 120 and into place amidst the vertical walls defined bythe upper portion 110. This has been found to be less challenging to aworker than configuring the upper portion 110 to define four verticalwalls such that a worker would be required to carry the weight of themuch of the active suspension seat 1000 while having to first align thelower frame 510 with those four walls, before being able to lower theactive suspension seat 1000 into place amidst those four walls. Further,although the three walls defined by the upper portion 110 have beenrepeatedly depicted as being oriented to have a front, a left and aright wall, while having no back wall such that the “U-shape” of theupper portion 110 can be said to “open” rearwardly, it is to beunderstood that the three walls defined by the upper portion 110 may beoriented in any of a variety of ways. More specifically, the three wallsmay be configured to be oriented such that there are left, right andback walls, but no front wall such that the “U-shape” can be said to“open” forwardly; or oriented such that there are front and back walls,but one or the other of the left and right walls is not present suchthat the “U-shape” can be said to “open” rightwardly or leftwardly,respectively. However, it has been found to be advantageous to configurethe three vertical walls defined by the upper portion 110 to form a“U-shape” that “opens” rearwardly (i.e., there is no back wall) as it islikely that a worker will be installing the active suspension seat 1000from a front driver's door of a vehicle, and is likely to be holding theactive suspension seat 1000 from the front. Given this, such a workerwill be able to more easily judge how well he/she is positioning thelower frame 510 amidst the three walls if those three walls are visibleto him/her, and this is more easily possible if there are front, leftand right walls defined by the upper portion 110 such that the workercan more easily see portions of all three of those walls while holdingthe active suspension seat 1000 from its front side.

The installation of the active suspension seat 1000 further continueswith the installation of one of the skirts 300 or 300 a-b about the base1400. As previously discussed, the upper portion 390 is coupled to theupper frame 590 using any of a variety of fasteners and/or portions ofadhesive. The lower portion 310 is coupled to the upper portion 110 ofwhichever one of the floor plates 100 or 100 a-e has been installed,using any of a variety of fasteners, portions of adhesive, one or moreoutwardly extending pins 113 that may be carried by the upper portion110, and/or one or more extensions 115 that may be carried by the upperportion 110.

Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims andother claims to which the applicant may be entitled.

1. A floor plate to couple an active suspension seat to a floor of avehicle comprising: a lower portion comprising a flat sheet of materialextending within a plane and having a plurality of apertures formedtherethrough that correspond to a plurality of mounting featurespositioned about the floor to enable the floor plate to be coupled tothe floor; an upper portion comprising a ribbon of material that is bentat two locations along the ribbon to define three portions of the ribbonand to impart a U-shape configuration to the ribbon; and wherein: a longedge of the upper portion is joined to the lower portion such that theflat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of theupper portion cooperate to form a tray having three side walls; each ofthe three portions of the ribbon defines a side wall; each of the threeside walls extends in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of thelower portion; and at least one of the side walls has an aperture formedtherethrough that corresponds to an aperture formed in a lower frame ofthe active suspension seat.
 2. The floor plate of claim 1, whereinanother plurality of apertures are formed through the flat sheet ofmaterial of the lower portion that correspond to a plurality of mountingfeatures positioned about another floor of another vehicle.
 3. The floorplate of claim 1, wherein the lower portion further comprises aplurality of extensions that extend downwardly from the plane of theflat sheet of material to reach through corresponding openings formed ina layer of resilient material disposed between the floor and floor plateto engage the floor plate at locations of the mounting features.
 4. Thefloor plate of claim 1, wherein an extending portion of the flat sheetof material of the lower portion extends outwardly from the tray formedby the flat sheet and the U-shape configuration of the upper portionbeyond one of the three side walls, and wherein at least one aperture ofthe plurality of apertures formed through the flat sheet of material isformed through the extending portion.
 5. The floor plate of claim 1,wherein two of the three side walls defined by the three portions of theribbon extend in parallel planes enabling parallel portions of the lowerframe to be positioned therebetween.
 6. The floor plate of claim 1,wherein the three side walls are oriented such that the tray formed bythe flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of theupper portion opens toward the rear of the vehicle when the floor plateis coupled to the floor.
 7. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein theupper portion further comprises a pin carried by one of the three sidewalls and extending outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet ofthe lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion toengage a lower portion of a skirt surrounding the lower frame of theactive suspension seat.
 8. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein the upperportion further comprises an extension carried by one of the three sidewalls and extending outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet ofthe lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion toengage a lower portion of a skirt surrounding the lower frame of theactive suspension seat.
 9. An active suspension seat comprising: anupper frame coupled to a seat cushion providing a place on which aperson may sit; a lower frame; a suspension comprising suspensioncomponents and a controller that cooperate to actively suspend the upperframe relative to the lower frame; a first floor plate having a firstplurality of apertures formed therethrough that correspond to aplurality mounting features positioned about a first floor of a firstvehicle to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the firstfloor; and a second floor plate having a second plurality of aperturesformed therethrough that correspond to a plurality of mounting featurespositioned about a second floor of a second vehicle to enable the activesuspension seat to be coupled to the second floor, wherein the aperturesof the first plurality of apertures are arranged differently from theapertures of the second plurality of apertures floor.
 10. The activesuspension seat of claim 9, wherein the first floor plate comprises aplurality of extensions that extend downwardly from a plane of a flatsheet of material of the first floor plate to reach throughcorresponding openings formed in a layer of resilient material disposedbetween the first floor and the first floor plate to engage the firstfloor plate at locations of the mounting features positioned about thefirst floor plate.
 11. The active suspension seat of claim 9, whereinthe first floor plate comprises: a lower portion comprising a flat sheetof material extending within a plane and having the first plurality ofapertures formed therethrough; an upper portion comprising a ribbon ofmaterial that is bent at two locations along the ribbon to define threeportions of the ribbon and to impart a U-shape configuration to theribbon; and wherein: a long edge of the upper portion is joined to thelower portion such that the flat sheet of the lower portion and theU-shape configuration of the upper portion cooperate to form a trayhaving three side walls; each of the three portions of the ribbondefines a side wall; and at least one of the side walls has an apertureformed therethrough that corresponds to an aperture formed in a lowerframe of the active suspension seat.
 12. The active suspension seat ofclaim 11, wherein a portion of the flat sheet of material of the lowerportion extends outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet and theU-shape configuration of the upper portion beyond one of the three sidewalls, and wherein at least one aperture of the first plurality ofapertures formed through the flat sheet of material is formedtherethrough.
 13. The active suspension seat of claim 9, wherein thecontroller is coupled to the upper mounting frame such that thecontroller is actively suspended.
 14. A method of installing an activesuspension seat in a vehicle comprising: coupling a floor plate to afloor of a vehicle, wherein the floor plate has a first plurality ofapertures that correspond to a plurality of mounting features positionedabout the floor to enable the floor plate to be coupled to the floor;and coupling the active suspension seat to the floor plate, wherein: thefloor plate having a second plurality of apertures that correspond to aplurality of apertures formed in a lower frame of the active suspensionseat to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the floorplate; and coupling the active suspension seat to the floor platecomprises inserting fasteners through the second plurality of aperturesand into the corresponding apertures of the lower frame, wherein thesecond plurality of apertures are located at positions on the floorplate that enable the fasteners to be inserted from locations externalto the active suspension seat.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising: coupling an upper portion of a skirt to an upper frame ofthe active suspension seat that is structured to be actively suspendedabove a lower frame of the active suspension seat; and coupling a lowerportion of the skirt to the floor plate.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein: the floor plate comprises a flat sheet of material and a ribbonof material bent at two locations and joined to the flat sheet ofmaterial to form a tray having three side walls; and coupling the floorplate to the floor of the vehicle comprises positioning the floor plateon the floor such that the tray having three side walls opensrearwardly.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling the activesuspension seat to the floor plate comprises: positioning the lowerframe between two of the three side walls; sliding the lower frameforward to engage the other one of the three side walls; and inserting afastener through an aperture formed through one of the three side wallsand at least partly into a corresponding aperture formed in the lowerframe.
 18. An active suspension seat comprising: an upper frame coupledto a seat cushion providing a place on which a person may sit; a lowerframe; a suspension comprising at least one active suspension component;and a controller comprising at least one electronic component mounted tothe upper frame to isolate the at least one electronic component fromjolts encountered by a vehicle into which the active suspension seat isinstalled during travel of the vehicle, wherein the controllercooperates with the at least one active suspension component to activelysuspend the upper frame relative to the lower frame.
 19. The activesuspension seat of claim 18, wherein the at least one active suspensioncomponent is mounted to the upper frame.
 20. The active suspension seatof claim 19, wherein the at least one active suspension component isselected from a group consisting of a linear actuator, a rotary electricmotor, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a power switchingdevice, a fluid reservoir, and a magnet.